I've been living at and going to Khao San Road since 2001 and this is incredible! Thank you for documenting the greatness of these times. It was a special time and place. It can never be recreated.
Gulliver's was awesome. I miss that place. The Club has been around a really long time there as well. It was way cheaper to drink back in the day - now khaosan isn't the cheap place it used to be. My first trip was 1992 and the guest houses were so so cheap beer and food was so cheap and it was real travel hub. In some ways it was more fun but now its so easy to do everything on line and that can be useful now and then....
Pat, you incorporate a dry sense of humor into your videos and it just adds volumes to the film. Brilliant! Thanks for the trip down memory lane! Cheers!!
I first went to Khao San Road in 1984. I went back again in 85 at ran in to some of the same guys I had met in 84. I stayed at VC Guesthouse that is long gone. I've been back to Thailand many times over the years I haven't been to KSR in 18 years. Even then it had changed too much for me and I wanted to preserve my old memories of what I thought was a cool place. Thanks for the great video!!
9.43 on, the old fort, beautiful memories, a unique time , the old canals. the Chao Phrayha...a magical space... the old new world shopping center...nostalgia is now becoming a mystical dream...
Another great one Pat, thanks. I remember Khao San in the 90’s. I was a kind of backpacker light, without the rastafari hair, and I liked drinking beer with the locals better than playing the diggeridoo or what that aussie trumpet is called. I think I stayed at Marco Polo guest house, still around? Keep up the good work 👍👍👍👍 Btw, who the hell hits the thumbs down?
Thanks a lot mate, the Marco Polo was still there last year, but the sign has been taken down recently though. To be honest I don't think I've ever done a thumbs down, maybe on a couple of football vids years ago, maybe people expect a bit more, or I bore them by not showing Starbucks. But I'll expect a few thumbs down on this, a few old backpackers might see it.
I stayed there in 1989. My main memories are Bonnie's Guest House, US movies being played at nighttime in the open cafes, counterfeit tapes being sold (still have some of them), breakfast of yoghurt with fresh fruit, an old car parked with an ad for making calls back to Europe. [oh yes I forgot the insane food poisoning I had for the first few days] Then I went back in the 2006-2012 period and it was a great place to get fake IDs and driving licences. My last trip was in 2019 I think and could barely recognise it, the volume of the music pumping out in the evening was insane. No more fake IDs, and clothes stalls way too expensive.
Wow, soi rambutri, sawasdee guesthouse was the first place I stayed ever in Thailand, that was around 2000, the last time I was in that area was 2013, used to go past jitti gym, through that other place to cut through to Khao san, some great memories.
I came here first time an early morning in 1987, but for some reasons I didn´t like Khao San thought it was too crowded with backpackers, so I immediately moved down to the old travelers centre at Soi Ngam Duplee Rama4 instead, where I stayed during many trips til early 2000s!
nothing is like back in the days...today for many will later be their back in the days...asia thailand and the world is moving forward....wherever this forward will land us, or its a never ending circle...a great video brought up lots of memories...old men are looking back...young men just live today
First when to Thailand 2009 and khao san was my first stop..love soi ram buttri especially, the sounds the heat the smells etc..special times that I hope come back
My first trip to Khao San was in 2022, right after they bounced back from the pandemic. They were quick and eager to get back to it. The place is nuts. A Thai friend told me it used to be a rice market as "khao" means rice. I’ve always wondered about its history beyond the clubs, beers, and balloons. This video is cool, Pat. Thanks for making it. Seeing that Rocco bar used to be Gulliver is some kind of history for me. HAHA. By the way, we new travelers have different nostalgia song. Mine is "Danza Kuduro!"
Greetings Bangkok Pat, what amazing content on Bangkok, it’s culture, history and traditions! I plan on watching them all as I see that you put tons of work into them and I commend you for such great work. I wanted to buy you a coffee or two however I only use PayPal when donating via TH-cam and TH-cam links. Thanks so much for sharing.
Great area to eat and drink, before 2011 for me. After that it lost a lot of character and in 2019 they started a plan to make it more Chinese orientated: www.samuitimes.com/out-with-the-backpackers-in-with-the-chinese-khao-san-road-makeover-continues/
Great video Pat and Karl. I visited this area on my last trip to Bangkok and absolutely loved the nostalgia of the old vibe, visited the Malaysian hotel and could picture the parties that must have went on in the pool and bar area there. The stories that would have come out of this hotel and surrounding area would be unbelievable I recon. Great history 🎉
Great content , captivating , Your vlogs would not be out of place on TV . Slowly making my way through all your videos and loving everyone of them .Thanks for your efforts.
First trip to Thailand and the KSR was back in 2004. It was backpacker heaven back then, alas I have noticed a different (more family friendly perhaps?) vibe in my recent trips. Back then, Porcelain by Mobi (because of the movie The Beach, of course) was playing all day.
15 minutes you say Pat, I loved the extra bonus minutes then. Nice trip back down memory lane to busier times, amazing how recognisable this area still is from back in the early days, thus far it has been spared the modernisation experienced in other bangkok areas. I think rather than the number of cats in the video I am now looking at the number of different tshirts that I see you wearing. Incredible dedication for sure.
The intro is usually the last thing I shoot, and I genuinely thought I had about 15mins worth. Then I do the first final cut and it's bloody 28 minutes.....That area is part of the Old City so it gets spared the usual malls and condo developments, so it hasn't changed much. I need a few new shirts, there's a couple I even wore a year ago but it shows I buy quality long lasting shirts, right?
Great video. I used to love to sit in a restaurant or bar all night ( or day) and just watch the people talk about a melting pot. Also loved staying at one of the places behind the Wat, decent room with air con, wi-fi and a pool for 900 baht a night. Hopefully soon it will come back
Thanks Chuck, glad you have positive memories, plenty of moaning in some quarters...before the virus struck they were prepping the place to go all Chinese, not sure if that'll continue or they'll give up and take whoever they can now. www.samuitimes.com/out-with-the-backpackers-in-with-the-chinese-khao-san-road-makeover-continues/
Stayed in Khao san road many times in the mid 80,s . Remember the owner of the guest house had a pet monkey. Also being next door to a snooker club meant being kept awake till late with the sound of snooker balls rattling round. The market stalls at that time were full of knock off cassette tapes :)
I remember my first ever visit to Khao San back in the day. Glad to see you Bangkok Pat making yet another informative and interesting video. Stay sane during these testing times.
Thanks Ashley! Khao San Road probably won't ever be a madhouse again. The recent smartening up and mandarin lessons for street vendors was for the Chinese, but covid struck. How ironic.
they play loud red hot chili pepper song..dani California during my visit in khaosan road..great memories..have been walking around the area and i read a dark history in the canal..that just awesome considering how the area is now becoming one the main attraction especially khaosan area..
Hi Joni, hope you're all good in your part of the world, it's definitely not the place it was, and it stopped being a cool place anyway about 10yrs ago anyway!
I remember being there in 1989, it looked a whole lot different, had a beautiful charm about it! It still does I guess, thanks so much for this - loved it.
Glad you liked it Lorraine, everyone had a great time here in the older days, the backpacking community has faded away and the new generation aren't cut from the same cloth.
@@BangkokPat I remember staying at a little old lady's room with 2 friends, right on Khao San Road and going to the simple little cafes for breakfast, no glitz and glam there then but it was great!
Ahhh Pat, this one brought a tear to the old eyes, I miss Thailand more than words can say, and seeing KSR and SRB really got me in the feels! Thanks for your great videos, knowledge and fab sense of humour, it's very much appreciated from the cold damp uk. Until we can all meet again our beautiful Thailand, I miss you every day.
It was once a great place to hang out, used to allocate a sat/sun once a month 20yrs ago, last went on a night out halloween 2011. have wondered around a few times but it doesn't have the same spirit and vibe as the old days. Cheers Sarah. PS. This video got the blessing of Joe Cummings after I sent it to him! That meant a lot!
@@BangkokPat I think you captured all of our nostalgia around the old times and change so perfectly in the video, and that with the mix of these new pandemic times and change, a thought provoking heady mix that I simultaneously loved and wanted to cry over. I'm overjoyed that Joe Cummings liked your great video, I'm sure he has some old time nostalgia too! Great work Pat, thanks again. ❤
Some of the area you had It showed sounds and looks for miller's too me I'm sure I have been to some Off this part of the city the Place haven't changed haven't changed that much since the 70th . I appreciate you for sharing And the details of them.
Thanks Colin, glad you found the channel. There are many one dimensional channels around that are popular, easy to watch I suppose, and they upload a lot more often so get promotion.
At 2:38 in this video clip, I'm the guy in the background sporting a necktie with the Bible in my hand. I've been binge watching your video clips and found myself in one of them, too! Keep up the videos!
@@BangkokPat Yes, it is a small world: though Bangkok is inhabited by over 10 million people, it is still, at times, more of a large village than a city.
What a long wait😀. You are truly enthusiastic in making a very good video. 👍👍 There’s tonnes of memories arisen from all folks of tourists after watching this video. The famous Khao San which I used to pass by walking towards to Wat Bowon Niwet Wihan, Rambutri road to the National Gallery and crossing to the Grand Palace, the Phra Athit pier which was my most visited pier, night and day. Really loved it. Thanks again for your hard work making this nice video 👍👍👍
Thank you so much JP, there are indeed some great spots around there, Pra Athit Road would be cool to live along overlooking the river, some nice private homes along Rambutri, National Gallery is closed for refurbishment at the moment. I'm putting the finishing touches to the other half of the old city video, in a few days.
Bangkok Pat Yes Pat, I did it once to stay besides the tiny river just to try to feel the khlong ambient, but the ferry had long been stopped in service that year 😅, though it was still enjoyable to have a beer on the rooftop during evening hours. Pat, it is nice to know from your video and information that the Rambutri area is full with nice private homes which I might have overlooked. Take your time to produce the next video, as we all can’t go far at least for the moment. 😉
My first ever night in Thailand spent KS rd, 1992 arrived at 3am. it was dead, no all nighter nonsense then! trash burning in a 44 gallon drum, dreadful 90 baht room, that didnt lock, I thought I'd be robbed, didnt sleep a wink till sunrise, and moved to a windowless box a few doors down with a new aicon unit! Then I stopped being kee nok cheaap an moved to Silom for the rest of the trip! I was religious then, and was a very good boy!
Sometimes roughing it can be a bit extreme, l stayed cheap once on my first visit with the "l just need a place to sleep" attitude and it was so full of cockroaches that l didn't want to get off the bed with all my baggage. Since then l've chosen good quality hotels carefully and been lucky!
Enjoyed that Pat. Was a KSR resident for a few years around 98-2000 and miss the old place. Live outside of BKK now but managed to stop by KSR yesterday to have a look. A sad state of affairs in a once exciting, bustling neighborhood.
Thanks Steve, it's a sorry state of affairs down at Khao San Road but it does look like the area was iundergoing a Chinese makeover when covid struck: www.samuitimes.com/out-with-the-backpackers-in-with-the-chinese-khao-san-road-makeover-continues/
@@BangkokPat weird isn’t it. I don’t really see the Chinese enjoying the typical entertainment that KSR offered. But it looks like the whole of BKK is focusing on the Chinese nowadays.
I stayed at the Viengtai a couple times 20 years ago (before you had the beef stroganoff). It was a stopever coming and going from work up in the North. The price was right, and the room was clean! I stopped going there after I realized I didn't care for the Khao San area as much as I thought!
I am binge watching Pat's videos tonight and thoroughly enjoying them all. I feel a bit guilty though - I have never properly explored Bangkok. The videos partly make up for it.
I knew about Khao San Road even before my first trip to Thailand in 1987. For whatever reason I never went there even after having been married to a Thai for 30+ years. Finally in 2018 in a trip back my wife just randomly said lets go to Khao San when we were leaving the Siam Square area. I don't know why as we never even discussed it on our trip agenda. But having never been, I took that as a signal to go and finally see the legend. We had a very nice time. Truth be told it felt a bit like a sanitized version of the Nana area. That's not a criticism. There's a time and place for everything and my years of sowing my wild oats had been played.
I am liking your videos very much. They are the best out there, and I have to say thanks for sharing for everyone that watches your videos. How about something during 1968, that was the first time I was in BKK and Thailand. Hoping to see something soon, and keep up the excellent work you are doing. See you again in the next one. Cheers.
@@BangkokPat Do you know where the Windsor Hotel is, that is where the G.I.'s used to stay on R&R from Vietnam in fact I was there. The Windsor was also the same place for U.S. military stationed in BKK would be living there. It was sure beautiful at the time. Next time I am in Thailand I will let you know. Hoping it will be sometime soon. Take care, and see you again in the next video I will be watching. Thanks again for sharing.
Man I remember Gulliver's lol. As for a song that reminds me of Khaosan Road in 2006 when I got here, it must be Vinylshakerz take on one night in Bangkok. It was absolutely everywhere at every after hour club until it got raided, my pupils blasted with torches by police and out on the streets we were again. It used to go something like Sawasdee Smile Inn, Gecko Bar, Kalanbatu, Gullivers and then on to some insanity crappy place like Spicy or whatever they were called, there were quite a few of them a Tuktuk would take you "for free" due to the massive commission. Got to love those days, too bad I didn't get here earlier, but I sure have seen some transformation
This is the best vlog about Bangkok interesting to see about the history I thought it would be the usual stuff but pleasantly surprised I was based there for two years and miss the place
Thanks a lot mate, I made it for the reason you mention, because all those same old same old videos showing the area during the virus at songkran, how quiet it is....ok we got the bloody message, 20+ videos all walking no talking. I even got the blessing from Joe Cummings (Lonely Planet) himself on that video. I sent it to him. Some of the far reaches of Soi Rambutree have some lovely houses, it's not all madness!
Was always well known as a madhouse, that was the appeal I'd be sent to a real one if I ever go there again, 8 days I was there shooting. Luckily only for a couple of hours a day.
Hi Pat, thanks for always being so positive & upbeat in these harrowing times. Another classic video of former days brought up to date. Only went down Khao San a couple times, back in the day,( late 80's), for me it was just too scruffy, although it had great character. Do you remember those Indian guys who used to walk down there with tables on their heads/shoulders, selling plastic bags of repulsive looking insects which always tasted delicious after fifteen bottles of Kloster/Singha? Ha ha!!!!! By the way, loved the clip of Colin Hay( down under) from Men At Work, in his ''fried out Kombie,'' cursing away!!! Brilliant!!! Keep up the great work Pat, stay safe stay happy!!! Chok Dee!!!!
Hi Anton, glad you liked it. I had to illustrate the hippie trail somehow, so that song came to mind and the great video. I was gonna play the clip of the van breaking down but there's odd copyright rules that needed to keep by. I think I'm allowed those 4secs but no sound! The late 80s was well before my time so those Indian furniture carriers were long gone by the time I appeared in 2000. Never tried insects, never wanted to either!
G'day pat , Nicely put together again , good to see some areas have been spared the vast up heavel of condoisms thus keeping some form of nostalgia for us who wish to see or remember what it was like way back in the day, how wonderful to see those hidden gems (record shop) , any way keep em coming ... Catchya...
Hey Steve great to hear from ya. Great thing about the old city area is it's off limits to any ridiculous projects that alter the skyline and mood. Bit like a heritage law, in the UK it's very serious, any developments in central London can't block or alter the view of the old landmarks. Shame the rest of Bangkok is a bit of a mess like that but some of the buildings deserve to go. Working on the other half of the old city now....Take care mate!
Hey Charles, glad you liked it mate, I missed out a few bits as it would've been just too long, at the start I wanted 15mins but when you shoot so much you don't wanna waste it, and of course I couldn't waste all the cat footage!
@@BangkokPat lovin the cats mate. There used to be a st restaurant in an alleyway just opersite the Siam Riverside, they had a Black cat that was always sleeping on the same table in the st, had to move him on a couple of times so I could eat ! Don’t waste the footage another complication of out takes would be great, particularly if BKK gets locked down again. Thanks again Pat.
Khao San Road is a downer, and if covid hadn't struck it would have been full of Chinese, it was going that way anyway, no more street stalls and making it look smart for walking tour groups, and plenty of new stalls catering for them. Covid put a stop to that plan!!
@@BangkokPat well finally I have something to thank Covid for! If that had happened the old geezers like would be justified in saying, “yeah, nothing beats the old days / it’s lost its charm”
@@BangkokPat it will rise again these things always do but not there, somewhere else in another part of town just like the backpackers started moving out down towards the area around the Rama eight bridge around 12 years ago. It’s the same in London, gets popular, gets gentrified looses what it became famous for people get pushed out and star anew somewhere else. Margate is happening now with the people pushed out of shawditch
That made me feel my age - thanks Pat - great video, I have lived in Thailand over 30 years, lived in Bangkok 8 years and have never walked down Khao San Road! even 30 years ago I was too old for that "scene" As too the good times returning? they never will until people stand up and say enough! must be bloody obvious to the most naive what is happening with the world at this time! 😜
Cheers Chris! Shame you haven't been at least once! Sounds bad but it's no loss, those days can't be recreated with todays generation of young people. As you say, it's not some natrually occuring virus, anyone who believes it is needs their brain examined!
@@BangkokPat the worlds greatest generation has all but gone, people today will believe and except anything as long as they can have there phone. Us Three seem to be on the same page but.... beware of the YT algorithm it does not like the truth.
Cheers James, was a bit livelier back in '99 that's for sure mate. Hope you're well mate, saw the fire damage, caused by a typical cowboy job as usual 🍺
Interesting video of an area close to my first home in Bangkok which was just north of Wan Chart Bridge as seen in the video. Obviously Khao San road has changed a lot since I first visited there in 1983. What I noticed in the 90's was that food, drinks, and just about everything else was more expensive there than just a few blocks away.
What a lovely reminder of times gone by, i must of stayed in 4 hotels featured there and eaten at many of the restaurants in over 20+ years of visiting Thailand. p.s. loved the sloth joke.
"This is also a crocodile free zone". Thanks for this Info Pat! Now I feel a bit safer if I walk in these street and want order a Pad Thai :D You made a new "cat record" in this video :)
Thanks Franko! BBQ crocodile not available in that area, and I doubt it ever will be. Maybe a cat zoo will bring the tourists back to the atrea but no Chinese tourists allowed to visit.
The music.. during my second visit to Thailand 1993 1994 for 3 months, there was a Thai song called "broken hearted woman" it must have been an absolute monster of a hit because the entire time that I was there you could hear it being played everywhere and during my stay you've got to hear all of the different variations instrumental only et cetera. khao San Road had tapes for sale in those days and I made sure that I bought a copy of this before I left as well as the other western music bootlegs. even in those days Koa san was a bubble, everything was made easy and people really enjoyed themselves so why not
Thanks Clyde, I don't recall being a fan of that song, it was played to death for sure, even techno style mixes were played in some places. I remember how bad quality those tapes were, but that kind of bootlegging was new and it was quite a thrill to own one at first!! But I wasn't around KSR in those days and it was probably a lot more free and easy going than what it became later. Sounds like you done your fair share of partying back then. Fun days!
@@BangkokPat Nah I was never much of a party animal. had a few laughs in Koh Phangan and some of the islands. I really prefer the north of Thailand especially around Chiang Mai in December. I hit ksr a few times during various trips until 2008, it had changed quite a bit but then everything always does... a funny thing was that you would sometimes see Thais visiting like it was a tourist attraction! the thing that I really missed was that you used to be able to get a long tail boat from the train station to banglam. when they stopped that you had to get a bus which could sometimes take forever and a day. I hope to visit again someday.
Bangkok Pat, Great work again. Amazing footage to watch while listening to some good tunes! I didn't see the cat bit coming :P haha, Also a nice way to end the video:D
Excellent as ever Pat. Saved this one up and was not disappointed. Kodac signs looked to have disappeared by 2008 - camera/smartphones? That, along with the internet seemed to mark the end of the 'old' vibe IMO. I started counting the cats (3) but had to give up at the montage lol. Cheers mate!
Thanks very much mate. Glad you liked it. I'd say yeah, Kodak didn't get involved with the digital side really, they tried to compete with their Advanced Photo System but overall it was no competition. Getting films developed got old very fast but there's obviously still a market for the professionals who demand it. People have asked why so many cats in your videos? It just happens because I'm not a walking and talking vlogger, I stop a lot to do the shots I need, so I notice more stuff around me that might look good to shoot, it goes to show how many cats are around, because one will always be lurking nearby!!
Oh yeah, APS! I bought a Canon one in KL on my first ever Asian trip back in '98. Great memories but the picture quality was awful, especially on that panoramic mode. Cheers mate
Ah the memories of my backpacking youth are flooding back, I'll have to venture there again when I eventually get back to the BKK. Keep the great video coming Pat, they never disappoint!
Thanks Robin, you might be a bit surprised at the moment so leave it to next year. The area was being geared up for the Chinese, a walking street, vendors learning mandarin, it was in the news, then covid struck, a bit ironic really!
@@BangkokPat Sadly I fear the Thai's are going to head that way and as a result will have other problems to contend with. I'm sure in the future they will think of the day's of Westerners tourism as the good old days
@@robinmasters2530 Because the generation coming up have had xenophobic propaganda and pro-Sino publicity directed at them from this government who have got in bed with the Chinese. So they are too young to remember the better days of westernere throwing cash and tips around, Pattaya too, they pretend they aren't a sex tourists paradise by the sea but that's all it's good for.
Very happy that you enjoyed it, thanks. Will the area recover? Hard to say but will the backpackers return or a totally new type of traveller? And when?
great video as always Pat, I drive through the area every now and then and sorry to say it will never get it's charm back too much has changed now I suspect another backpacker area will develop naturally over the years. So glad I visited for the first time around 15 years ago.
Cheers Stephen, it's best days are gone that's for sure. It was being smartened up for Chinese walking tour groups anyway. The news gleefully said the vendors were learning mandarin. So covid put a stop to that.
Great video Pat. I was a backpacker when I first stayed there in 88 was a great place to meet other backpackers and give each other tips on good places to go. I try not to spend time in Bangkok these days later prefer other parts of Thailand. But I did go out one night in Khao San road about five years ago just out of curiosity. And I couldn't recognise a thing lol.
Thanks Richard, I gave up on Khao San Road as a fun night out after 2011. Too many pretend hippies on laptops taking up the bars!! In 1988 I bet it was a pleassant area indeed!
Really like and appreciate your broadcasts. I mentioned, on another Channel, how odd I find it that so much money is being invested by Municipalities that are surely already in financial hoc up to the eyeballs, due to the current situation, in the Gentrification of areas almost invariably popular with the “Common Man” - such as Walking Street, in Pattaya. Even in my area of the UK, similar works are underway and I have it on good authority that such is, pretty much, a worldwide phenomena. In popular tourist resorts of Thailand, overhead cables are being placed below surface, roads and pavements are being torn up and resurfaced, buildings are being levelled to make way for new (Hi-So) structures. In their doing so, I can’t help but lament the loss of the chaotic and even (some might say) the sleaze of some of these areas which added more than a little to their former charm and attraction. Almost as if there is an unspoken “plan” being undertaken (I choose that word advisedly).
Thanks a lot for the kind words, sorry for the late reply.. Gentrification has caught on here in the last decade, but they aren't preserving any heritage or caring about what they demolish, currently, the Dusit Thani is getting that treatment, an icon of a hotel, not even preserving anything at all. Wiped from history for another commercial clone of a development like dozens of others all going up. Typical 3rd world mentality, they think if they catch up with modern cities, it'll look credible, but the character of Bangkok is vanishing, Blandcock is a better word. We got the memories to enjoy, new visitors don't know ny different. Shame.
For as many times as I have been to Thailand over the past 20 years... even in my younger raging party days... KSR was one place I have never really got into. Although I did like chillin at Gullivers and drinking and meeting random people from around the world... Even in my 20's when I was chatting up the Thai uni girls and they would always try to get me to take them there for partying I would mostly pass. I could not stand the dirty back packers... it's been interesting to see it taken back by the the younger Thai set and will be interesting to see if the "dirty backpackers" return en masse once (IF) we see a return to normalcy... Another great vid Pat.. cheers!
Hi Pat, isn’t Gullivers in Sukhumvit soi 13 these days? One night in Bangkok is definitely the song that reminds me of my trips to Thailand, although I prefer the earlier version by Robey, the video clip is really befitting the song...
Sorry for late response Paul, Gullivers in Sukhumvit soi 5 recently called it a day. Maybe there is one somewhere in Soi 13 but I didn't see it last time I was there. One Night in Bangkok is a classic that will never die. You get the old guys who think they're too big to dance to it if it comes on, which is amusing
New World Dept Store was a great place to hangout, shop & eat back in the late 80's Pat esp in the hot season..plus lots of lovely young thai ladies to admire. It really was the centre of banglamphu for a time. I even bumped into the boss of of the Thermae there once who was shopping with his wife... On the 4th floor they had a bakers that knocked out small baguettes for b5 a pop. Prior to the introduction of metered taxis in 1991 it cost around b40 in a tuk tuk or b50 in a taxi, depending on your thai language skills, from banglamphu to nana/cowboy!
Thanks for the info!! When I was doing research I could find nothing about anyone going there or photos of the place. The odd bad quality photo that I couldn't use, I did wonder about it, and if it was a bit too upmarket for its day in that area but I suppose the hordes of backpackers hadn't properly arrived yet. Loved shooting round that part, great fun. Shot the Old City video at the same time, originally it was all going to be one video but it would have been too long!
Nice to hear from you Pat. Oh yeah, no doubt about it New World Dept Store was 'the' place and funnily enough not many b/p's ventured inside. It was about 11 stories high i think and the exterior of the building facing the banglamphu junction had an outside elevator running all the way up to the food court on the 9th floor. And not much competition in the area as Central Pinklao wasnt there and Pata Pinklao quite downmarket. Im in Samsen by the way Pat just over the klong.
@@grahamchelsea9875 I know it was a fruit & veg market before new world, and I was also trying to get pics of the old Banglampu dept store on Soi Kraisi just round the corner. I suppose there wasn't much worth photographing round there back then! I'm planning at some point, a video from Saphan Kwai round to Samsen area around the train tracks....
Any viewers experience P.B. Guest House and/or working as extras on Good Morning Vietnam back in 87? Best time of my life! I had run out of cash and I think they paid us 1,000 baht a day, a small fortune at the time. Plus night shifts on the movie Saigon....
I remember the pb guest house I stayed there a few times in the late eighties. There was a pool hall next door. The Chinese guy outside in the combat jacket usually sat on stool he was the best weed dealer on the road. Did the film extra job in chang mai. What a laugh 😁
cheers 4 some gr8 shots of banglampu me old stamping ground love the vlog gr8 work
Love the quickly inserted Men at Work - Down Under video of them "in a fried out combie..." Well done Sir
I'll do anything to add bits from that fantastic video, gotta find the spot for the 6 foot 4 man from Brussels throwing the vegemite sandwich
I've been living at and going to Khao San Road since 2001 and this is incredible! Thank you for documenting the greatness of these times. It was a special time and place. It can never be recreated.
Gulliver's was awesome. I miss that place. The Club has been around a really long time there as well. It was way cheaper to drink back in the day - now khaosan isn't the cheap place it used to be. My first trip was 1992 and the guest houses were so so cheap beer and food was so cheap and it was real travel hub. In some ways it was more fun but now its so easy to do everything on line and that can be useful now and then....
Bloody hell !…been there only once…..great story to tell….and lo and behold, in your opening shot, the hotel I stayed at…..the D&D inn…..my initials?
Pat, you incorporate a dry sense of humor into your videos and it just adds volumes to the film. Brilliant! Thanks for the trip down memory lane! Cheers!!
Glad you liked it, not everyone gets the jokes I suppose but I'm terrible at slapstick!
I first went to Khao San Road in 1984. I went back again in 85 at ran in to some of the same guys I had met in 84. I stayed at VC Guesthouse that is long gone. I've been back to Thailand many times over the years I haven't been to KSR in 18 years. Even then it had changed too much for me and I wanted to preserve my old memories of what I thought was a cool place. Thanks for the great video!!
9.43 on, the old fort, beautiful memories, a unique time , the old canals. the Chao Phrayha...a magical space... the old new world shopping center...nostalgia is now becoming a mystical dream...
Another great one Pat, thanks. I remember Khao San in the 90’s. I was a kind of backpacker light, without the rastafari hair, and I liked drinking beer with the locals better than playing the diggeridoo or what that aussie trumpet is called. I think I stayed at Marco Polo guest house, still around?
Keep up the good work 👍👍👍👍
Btw, who the hell hits the thumbs down?
Thanks a lot mate, the Marco Polo was still there last year, but the sign has been taken down recently though. To be honest I don't think I've ever done a thumbs down, maybe on a couple of football vids years ago, maybe people expect a bit more, or I bore them by not showing Starbucks. But I'll expect a few thumbs down on this, a few old backpackers might see it.
I stayed there in 1989. My main memories are Bonnie's Guest House, US movies being played at nighttime in the open cafes, counterfeit tapes being sold (still have some of them), breakfast of yoghurt with fresh fruit, an old car parked with an ad for making calls back to Europe.
[oh yes I forgot the insane food poisoning I had for the first few days]
Then I went back in the 2006-2012 period and it was a great place to get fake IDs and driving licences.
My last trip was in 2019 I think and could barely recognise it, the volume of the music pumping out in the evening was insane. No more fake IDs, and clothes stalls way too expensive.
If only we could travel back in time...🙁 Thanks Pat for the vid!👍
Wow, soi rambutri, sawasdee guesthouse was the first place I stayed ever in Thailand, that was around 2000, the last time I was in that area was 2013, used to go past jitti gym, through that other place to cut through to Khao san, some great memories.
I came here first time an early morning in 1987, but for some reasons I didn´t like Khao San thought it was too crowded with backpackers, so I immediately moved down to the old travelers centre at Soi Ngam Duplee Rama4 instead, where I stayed during many trips til early 2000s!
Hey gents this channel is f'n brilliant. Thanks Pat.
Cheers Bruce mate, I shoot 7 days a week to keep this channel going, and it's nice to hear such kind words! 👍
nothing is like back in the days...today for many will later be their back in the days...asia thailand and the world is moving forward....wherever this forward will land us, or its a never ending circle...a great video brought up lots of memories...old men are looking back...young men just live today
15:43 the old ONE WORLD SHOPPING CENTER ... wow, what a lost place, your pictures make me hold my breath - times stand still in there
First when to Thailand 2009 and khao san was my first stop..love soi ram buttri especially, the sounds the heat the smells etc..special times that I hope come back
Soi Rambutree was an oasis away from the hectic part, especially the far end.
My first trip to Khao San was in 2022, right after they bounced back from the pandemic. They were quick and eager to get back to it. The place is nuts. A Thai friend told me it used to be a rice market as "khao" means rice. I’ve always wondered about its history beyond the clubs, beers, and balloons. This video is cool, Pat. Thanks for making it. Seeing that Rocco bar used to be Gulliver is some kind of history for me. HAHA. By the way, we new travelers have different nostalgia song. Mine is "Danza Kuduro!"
Greetings Bangkok Pat, what amazing content on Bangkok, it’s culture, history and traditions! I plan on watching them all as I see that you put tons of work into them and I commend you for such great work. I wanted to buy you a coffee or two however I only use PayPal when donating via TH-cam and TH-cam links. Thanks so much for sharing.
Another brilliant video Pat! You really do an amazing job. Love your style, research, humor and knowledge. Oh...and the cats!! 10/10.
My wife and I love this area. The nightlife and the resturants are fantastic.
Great area to eat and drink, before 2011 for me. After that it lost a lot of character and in 2019 they started a plan to make it more Chinese orientated: www.samuitimes.com/out-with-the-backpackers-in-with-the-chinese-khao-san-road-makeover-continues/
Great video Pat and Karl. I visited this area on my last trip to Bangkok and absolutely loved the nostalgia of the old vibe, visited the Malaysian hotel and could picture the parties that must have went on in the pool and bar area there. The stories that would have come out of this hotel and surrounding area would be unbelievable I recon. Great history 🎉
The story of the hotel would make a great video, bit like the video I did on The Oriental, but far seedier.
The iconic song was and always will be - YOU ARE TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE every where in every bar in S.E. AsIa.
Can't take my eyes off of you?
Brings back a lot of memories :) I personally think “No Woman No Cry” should be at the top of the list, but I am dating myself -…..
Thanks, glad you could reminisce, to be honest there's no real order in that top 10 as everybody had gone at different times/eras.
Great content , captivating , Your vlogs would not be out of place on TV . Slowly making my way through all your videos and loving everyone of them .Thanks for your efforts.
Cheers Malcolm, probably not polished or scripted enough for tv, not that I'm trying to polish it up or script it, that'd spoil it!!!
First trip to Thailand and the KSR was back in 2004. It was backpacker heaven back then, alas I have noticed a different (more family friendly perhaps?) vibe in my recent trips. Back then, Porcelain by Mobi (because of the movie The Beach, of course) was playing all day.
Another great video! During the pandemic I have walked a lot through the area and I really hope that the good old days will return soon.
Thanks !! All these pandemic at Khao San Rd videos are boring, showing the same scenes, that's why I thought to do this one.
Great video!
7:00 ... very very very cool music !!! Thx so much
15 minutes you say Pat, I loved the extra bonus minutes then. Nice trip back down memory lane to busier times, amazing how recognisable this area still is from back in the early days, thus far it has been spared the modernisation experienced in other bangkok areas. I think rather than the number of cats in the video I am now looking at the number of different tshirts that I see you wearing. Incredible dedication for sure.
The intro is usually the last thing I shoot, and I genuinely thought I had about 15mins worth. Then I do the first final cut and it's bloody 28 minutes.....That area is part of the Old City so it gets spared the usual malls and condo developments, so it hasn't changed much. I need a few new shirts, there's a couple I even wore a year ago but it shows I buy quality long lasting shirts, right?
Thanks Pat- miss the place
Thanks, I'll be down theire friday night shooting some nightlife for a video
Great video. I used to love to sit in a restaurant or bar all night ( or day) and just watch the people talk about a melting pot. Also loved staying at one of the places behind the Wat, decent room with air con, wi-fi and a pool for 900 baht a night. Hopefully soon it will come back
Thanks Chuck, glad you have positive memories, plenty of moaning in some quarters...before the virus struck they were prepping the place to go all Chinese, not sure if that'll continue or they'll give up and take whoever they can now. www.samuitimes.com/out-with-the-backpackers-in-with-the-chinese-khao-san-road-makeover-continues/
Brilliant Pat Thanks
Thank you Terry, glad you liked it mate!
Looking forward to see this one later today! Have a great weekend ahead Pat! Chock dee krub from the Netherlands!
Well, I hope you've enjoyed it!! Have a fabulous weekend yourself my friend!
Stayed in Khao san road many times in the mid 80,s . Remember the owner of the guest house had a pet monkey. Also being next door to a snooker club meant being kept awake till late with the sound of snooker balls rattling round. The market stalls at that time were full of knock off cassette tapes :)
Nice video great information
Will it ever get back to the vintage hippie days, sadly no, just pretend hippies the last 10-15yrs!
I remember my first ever visit to Khao San back in the day. Glad to see you Bangkok Pat making yet another informative and interesting video. Stay sane during these testing times.
Thanks Ashley! Khao San Road probably won't ever be a madhouse again. The recent smartening up and mandarin lessons for street vendors was for the Chinese, but covid struck. How ironic.
Pat, listen carefully. You just might be able to hear the standing ovation coming all the way from Chicago! This work is truly excellent.
Wow, thanks a lot Scott. Khao San Road was a fun place in its day but wasn't everyone's favourite place!
they play loud red hot chili pepper song..dani California during my visit in khaosan road..great memories..have been walking around the area and i read a dark history in the canal..that just awesome considering how the area is now becoming one the main attraction especially khaosan area..
I'm just stunned how quiet it is. Compared to my visit 10 years ago. Stay safe Pat!
Hi Joni, hope you're all good in your part of the world, it's definitely not the place it was, and it stopped being a cool place anyway about 10yrs ago anyway!
I remember being there in 1989, it looked a whole lot different, had a beautiful charm about it! It still does I guess, thanks so much for this - loved it.
Glad you liked it Lorraine, everyone had a great time here in the older days, the backpacking community has faded away and the new generation aren't cut from the same cloth.
@@BangkokPat I remember staying at a little old lady's room with 2 friends, right on Khao San Road and going to the simple little cafes for breakfast, no glitz and glam there then but it was great!
@@lorrainevlambert That sounds like the old fashioned homestay!
@@BangkokPat yes! it was amazing Pat, I really loved it! I like to stay down by the river now on Charoen Nakorn, which also has a charm!
Ahhh Pat, this one brought a tear to the old eyes, I miss Thailand more than words can say, and seeing KSR and SRB really got me in the feels! Thanks for your great videos, knowledge and fab sense of humour, it's very much appreciated from the cold damp uk.
Until we can all meet again our beautiful Thailand, I miss you every day.
It was once a great place to hang out, used to allocate a sat/sun once a month 20yrs ago, last went on a night out halloween 2011. have wondered around a few times but it doesn't have the same spirit and vibe as the old days. Cheers Sarah.
PS. This video got the blessing of Joe Cummings after I sent it to him! That meant a lot!
@@BangkokPat I think you captured all of our nostalgia around the old times and change so perfectly in the video, and that with the mix of these new pandemic times and change, a thought provoking heady mix that I simultaneously loved and wanted to cry over.
I'm overjoyed that Joe Cummings liked your great video, I'm sure he has some old time nostalgia too!
Great work Pat, thanks again. ❤
Spent so much time in Khaosan road.
Not sure why other than I was a young hippy/backpacker in the 2000’s and it was the logical base.
Some of the area you had
It showed sounds and looks for miller's too me
I'm sure I have been to some
Off this part of the city the
Place haven't changed
haven't changed
that much since the 70th .
I appreciate you for sharing
And the details of them.
great videos mate, just found your channel .
a breath of fresh air it is , from all the beer bar gogo crap vlogs
Thanks Colin, glad you found the channel. There are many one dimensional channels around that are popular, easy to watch I suppose, and they upload a lot more often so get promotion.
At 2:38 in this video clip, I'm the guy in the background sporting a necktie with the Bible in my hand. I've been binge watching your video clips and found myself in one of them, too! Keep up the videos!
Wow! That's a small world Tony! Hope you're keeping well. Cheers.
@@BangkokPat Yes, it is a small world: though Bangkok is inhabited by over 10 million people, it is still, at times, more of a large village than a city.
9:29 - Wooden Frog - NO!
24:42 Thanks for the memories of the ViengTai. My first hotel stay in Thailand in 2008. (I ate out!)
Thanks Nick, this video is getting a revival on Thaiger channel this weekend....
Interesting video!
Thank You, glad you think so!
What a long wait😀. You are truly enthusiastic in making a very good video. 👍👍 There’s tonnes of memories arisen from all folks of tourists after watching this video. The famous Khao San which I used to pass by walking towards to Wat Bowon Niwet Wihan, Rambutri road to the National Gallery and crossing to the Grand Palace, the Phra Athit pier which was my most visited pier, night and day. Really loved it. Thanks again for your hard work making this nice video 👍👍👍
Thank you so much JP, there are indeed some great spots around there, Pra Athit Road would be cool to live along overlooking the river, some nice private homes along Rambutri, National Gallery is closed for refurbishment at the moment. I'm putting the finishing touches to the other half of the old city video, in a few days.
Bangkok Pat Yes Pat, I did it once to stay besides the tiny river just to try to feel the khlong ambient, but the ferry had long been stopped in service that year 😅, though it was still enjoyable to have a beer on the rooftop during evening hours.
Pat, it is nice to know from your video and information that the Rambutri area is full with nice private homes which I might have overlooked.
Take your time to produce the next video, as we all can’t go far at least for the moment. 😉
Always great content! Thanks!
Great to hear from you Barry, cheers mate.
My first ever night in Thailand spent KS rd, 1992 arrived at 3am. it was dead, no all nighter nonsense then! trash burning in a 44 gallon drum, dreadful 90 baht room, that didnt lock, I thought I'd be robbed, didnt sleep a wink till sunrise, and moved to a windowless box a few doors down with a new aicon unit! Then I stopped being kee nok cheaap an moved to Silom for the rest of the trip! I was religious then, and was a very good boy!
Sometimes roughing it can be a bit extreme, l stayed cheap once on my first visit with the "l just need a place to sleep" attitude and it was so full of cockroaches that l didn't want to get off the bed with all my baggage. Since then l've chosen good quality hotels carefully and been lucky!
Loved the cats!
There's definitely no shortage of cats around there!
Love your videos
Thanks Joni, I'm doing them once a week now, unlike 2wks before. It means I've got to work a bit faster but I love doing these!
Enjoyed that Pat. Was a KSR resident for a few years around 98-2000 and miss the old place. Live outside of BKK now but managed to stop by KSR yesterday to have a look. A sad state of affairs in a once exciting, bustling neighborhood.
Thanks Steve, it's a sorry state of affairs down at Khao San Road but it does look like the area was iundergoing a Chinese makeover when covid struck: www.samuitimes.com/out-with-the-backpackers-in-with-the-chinese-khao-san-road-makeover-continues/
@@BangkokPat weird isn’t it. I don’t really see the Chinese enjoying the typical entertainment that KSR offered. But it looks like the whole of BKK is focusing on the Chinese nowadays.
absolutely loved this pat, thanks for a lot of memories old and recent. excellent quality production.
Cheers D, this video had the blessing of Joe Cummings himself, so I'm proud of it.
I stayed at the Viengtai a couple times 20 years ago (before you had the beef stroganoff). It was a stopever coming and going from work up in the North. The price was right, and the room was clean! I stopped going there after I realized I didn't care for the Khao San area as much as I thought!
Great comparisons of then and now!
Doing those are addictive!! Thanks Ian
I am binge watching Pat's videos tonight and thoroughly enjoying them all. I feel a bit guilty though - I have never properly explored Bangkok. The videos partly make up for it.
Good to hear that Andrew, count the cats in total and I'll think of a prize of some kind!!!
Superb video Pat, memory lane! Love the videos 👍
Thank you very much, glad to bring back great memories for you!
Thank you for the video and the memories it brings
Hands doen the best Thailand channel on TH-cam,i can only see subcriptions going up
I knew about Khao San Road even before my first trip to Thailand in 1987. For whatever reason I never went there even after having been married to a Thai for 30+ years. Finally in 2018 in a trip back my wife just randomly said lets go to Khao San when we were leaving the Siam Square area. I don't know why as we never even discussed it on our trip agenda. But having never been, I took that as a signal to go and finally see the legend. We had a very nice time. Truth be told it felt a bit like a sanitized version of the Nana area. That's not a criticism. There's a time and place for everything and my years of sowing my wild oats had been played.
I am liking your videos very much. They are the best out there, and I have to say thanks for sharing for everyone that watches your videos. How about something during 1968, that was the first time I was in BKK and Thailand. Hoping to see something soon, and keep up the excellent work you are doing. See you again in the next one. Cheers.
Thanks a lot, and tell me more about 1968 and what happened....
@@BangkokPat Do you know where the Windsor Hotel is, that is where the G.I.'s used to stay on R&R from Vietnam in fact I was there. The Windsor was also the same place for U.S. military stationed in BKK would be living there. It was sure beautiful at the time. Next time I am in Thailand I will let you know. Hoping it will be sometime soon. Take care, and see you again in the next video I will be watching. Thanks again for sharing.
Man I remember Gulliver's lol. As for a song that reminds me of Khaosan Road in 2006 when I got here, it must be Vinylshakerz take on one night in Bangkok. It was absolutely everywhere at every after hour club until it got raided, my pupils blasted with torches by police and out on the streets we were again. It used to go something like Sawasdee Smile Inn, Gecko Bar, Kalanbatu, Gullivers and then on to some insanity crappy place like Spicy or whatever they were called, there were quite a few of them a Tuktuk would take you "for free" due to the massive commission. Got to love those days, too bad I didn't get here earlier, but I sure have seen some transformation
This is the best vlog about Bangkok interesting to see about the history I thought it would be the usual stuff but pleasantly surprised I was based there for two years and miss the place
Thanks a lot mate, I made it for the reason you mention, because all those same old same old videos showing the area during the virus at songkran, how quiet it is....ok we got the bloody message, 20+ videos all walking no talking. I even got the blessing from Joe Cummings (Lonely Planet) himself on that video. I sent it to him. Some of the far reaches of Soi Rambutree have some lovely houses, it's not all madness!
@@BangkokPat Thats it mate I know a lot of places in Bangkok quite well but don't know a lot about them good job👍
Another corker Pat, keep em coming.
Thanks Ruskie, much appreciated mate. This is Part 1 of the old city. Part 2 is coming in a few days
Really cool video Pat. So informative. Makes me wanna go and explore Bangkok more. Thanks for that!
Thanks mate, glad you enjoyed it. I'm looking around the Lan Luang/Samsen/Dusit area soon, some really photogenic area. And of course Thonburi!
Great video Pat,bloody really cool footage I take it this area has been a mad house for decades,,
Was always well known as a madhouse, that was the appeal I'd be sent to a real one if I ever go there again, 8 days I was there shooting. Luckily only for a couple of hours a day.
Hi Pat, thanks for always being so positive & upbeat in these harrowing times. Another classic video of former days brought up to date. Only went down Khao San a couple times, back in the day,( late 80's), for me it was just too scruffy, although it had great character. Do you remember those Indian guys who used to walk down there with tables on their heads/shoulders, selling plastic bags of repulsive looking insects which always tasted delicious after fifteen bottles of Kloster/Singha? Ha ha!!!!! By the way, loved the clip of Colin Hay( down under) from Men At Work, in his ''fried out Kombie,'' cursing away!!! Brilliant!!! Keep up the great work Pat, stay safe stay happy!!! Chok Dee!!!!
Hi Anton, glad you liked it. I had to illustrate the hippie trail somehow, so that song came to mind and the great video. I was gonna play the clip of the van breaking down but there's odd copyright rules that needed to keep by. I think I'm allowed those 4secs but no sound! The late 80s was well before my time so those Indian furniture carriers were long gone by the time I appeared in 2000. Never tried insects, never wanted to either!
G'day pat , Nicely put together again , good to see some areas have been spared the vast up heavel of condoisms thus keeping some form of nostalgia for us who wish to see or remember what it was like way back in the day, how wonderful to see those hidden gems (record shop) , any way keep em coming ... Catchya...
Hey Steve great to hear from ya. Great thing about the old city area is it's off limits to any ridiculous projects that alter the skyline and mood. Bit like a heritage law, in the UK it's very serious, any developments in central London can't block or alter the view of the old landmarks. Shame the rest of Bangkok is a bit of a mess like that but some of the buildings deserve to go. Working on the other half of the old city now....Take care mate!
Thanks Pat, that choked me up mate. Best one yet.
Hey Charles, glad you liked it mate, I missed out a few bits as it would've been just too long, at the start I wanted 15mins but when you shoot so much you don't wanna waste it, and of course I couldn't waste all the cat footage!
@@BangkokPat lovin the cats mate. There used to be a st restaurant in an alleyway just opersite the Siam Riverside, they had a Black cat that was always sleeping on the same table in the st, had to move him on a couple of times so I could eat ! Don’t waste the footage another complication of out takes would be great, particularly if BKK gets locked down again. Thanks again Pat.
Hey what about a BKK cat video !
Been looking forward to a new one! This just livened up my week (even though looking at Khao San Road now is a little bit of a downer).Thanks Pat
Khao San Road is a downer, and if covid hadn't struck it would have been full of Chinese, it was going that way anyway, no more street stalls and making it look smart for walking tour groups, and plenty of new stalls catering for them. Covid put a stop to that plan!!
@@BangkokPat well finally I have something to thank Covid for! If that had happened the old geezers like would be justified in saying, “yeah, nothing beats the old days / it’s lost its charm”
@@BangkokPat it will rise again these things always do but not there, somewhere else in another part of town just like the backpackers started moving out down towards the area around the Rama eight bridge around 12 years ago. It’s the same in London, gets popular, gets gentrified looses what it became famous for people get pushed out and star anew somewhere else. Margate is happening now with the people pushed out of shawditch
So good!
Thank you for the hippy trail. Steve Jobs did it till Rishikesh in India ❤
That made me feel my age - thanks Pat - great video, I have lived in Thailand over 30 years, lived in Bangkok 8 years and have never walked down Khao San Road! even 30 years ago I was too old for that "scene" As too the good times returning? they never will until people stand up and say enough! must be bloody obvious to the most naive what is happening with the world at this time! 😜
Cheers Chris! Shame you haven't been at least once! Sounds bad but it's no loss, those days can't be recreated with todays generation of young people. As you say, it's not some natrually occuring virus, anyone who believes it is needs their brain examined!
@@BangkokPat the worlds greatest generation has all but gone, people today will believe and except anything as long as they can have there phone. Us Three seem to be on the same page but.... beware of the YT algorithm it does not like the truth.
Nice one Pat. I was there in my clown pants back in 1999.😎 Great stuff, keep it up.👍🍻
Cheers James, was a bit livelier back in '99 that's for sure mate. Hope you're well mate, saw the fire damage, caused by a typical cowboy job as usual 🍺
Great video . Thx Pat🙏🏻
Thank you too, glad you enjoyed it mate!
Wow, rabbit records I never knew!
Interesting video of an area close to my first home in Bangkok which was just north of Wan Chart Bridge as seen in the video. Obviously Khao San road has changed a lot since I first visited there in 1983. What I noticed in the 90's was that food, drinks, and just about everything else was more expensive there than just a few blocks away.
What a lovely reminder of times gone by, i must of stayed in 4 hotels featured there and eaten at many of the restaurants in over 20+ years of visiting Thailand. p.s. loved the sloth joke.
Cheers Phil. It's a decent place to hang out and eat if you're an occasional visitor, But I've never fancied staying there.
"This is also a crocodile free zone". Thanks for this Info Pat! Now I feel a bit safer if I walk in these street and want order a Pad Thai :D You made a new "cat record" in this video :)
Thanks Franko! BBQ crocodile not available in that area, and I doubt it ever will be. Maybe a cat zoo will bring the tourists back to the atrea but no Chinese tourists allowed to visit.
14:10 ... the way they dance in GULLIVERS looks really funny 🤣😂🤣 Well done !!!
Great guide !
The music.. during my second visit to Thailand 1993 1994 for 3 months, there was a Thai song called "broken hearted woman"
it must have been an absolute monster of a hit because the entire time that I was there you could hear it being played everywhere and during my stay you've got to hear all of the different variations instrumental only et cetera. khao San Road had tapes for sale in those days and I made sure that I bought a copy of this before I left as well as the other western music bootlegs. even in those days Koa san was a bubble, everything was made easy and people really enjoyed themselves so why not
Thanks Clyde, I don't recall being a fan of that song, it was played to death for sure, even techno style mixes were played in some places. I remember how bad quality those tapes were, but that kind of bootlegging was new and it was quite a thrill to own one at first!!
But I wasn't around KSR in those days and it was probably a lot more free and easy going than what it became later. Sounds like you done your fair share of partying back then. Fun days!
@@BangkokPat Nah I was never much of a party animal. had a few laughs in Koh Phangan and some of the islands. I really prefer the north of Thailand especially around Chiang Mai in December. I hit ksr a few times during various trips until 2008, it had changed quite a bit but then everything always does... a funny thing was that you would sometimes see Thais visiting like it was a tourist attraction!
the thing that I really missed was that you used to be able to get a long tail boat from the train station to banglam. when they stopped that you had to get a bus which could sometimes take forever and a day. I hope to visit again someday.
Bangkok Pat, Great work again. Amazing footage to watch while listening to some good tunes! I didn't see the cat bit coming :P haha, Also a nice way to end the video:D
Cheers mate. Your cat was a bit younger than the old noisy tom cat I showed right at the end mate! Similar colours though.
@@BangkokPat Mate I thought they were the same. I had to look at it again. My one has actually a missing eye, the poor bugger.
Best
Excellent as ever Pat. Saved this one up and was not disappointed. Kodac signs looked to have disappeared by 2008 - camera/smartphones? That, along with the internet seemed to mark the end of the 'old' vibe IMO. I started counting the cats (3) but had to give up at the montage lol. Cheers mate!
Thanks very much mate. Glad you liked it. I'd say yeah, Kodak didn't get involved with the digital side really, they tried to compete with their Advanced Photo System but overall it was no competition. Getting films developed got old very fast but there's obviously still a market for the professionals who demand it. People have asked why so many cats in your videos? It just happens because I'm not a walking and talking vlogger, I stop a lot to do the shots I need, so I notice more stuff around me that might look good to shoot, it goes to show how many cats are around, because one will always be lurking nearby!!
Oh yeah, APS! I bought a Canon one in KL on my first ever Asian trip back in '98. Great memories but the picture quality was awful, especially on that panoramic mode. Cheers mate
Ah the memories of my backpacking youth are flooding back, I'll have to venture there again when I eventually get back to the BKK. Keep the great video coming Pat, they never disappoint!
Thanks Robin, you might be a bit surprised at the moment so leave it to next year. The area was being geared up for the Chinese, a walking street, vendors learning mandarin, it was in the news, then covid struck, a bit ironic really!
@@BangkokPat Sadly I fear the Thai's are going to head that way and as a result will have other problems to contend with. I'm sure in the future they will think of the day's of Westerners tourism as the good old days
@@robinmasters2530 Because the generation coming up have had xenophobic propaganda and pro-Sino publicity directed at them from this government who have got in bed with the Chinese. So they are too young to remember the better days of westernere throwing cash and tips around, Pattaya too, they pretend they aren't a sex tourists paradise by the sea but that's all it's good for.
Thanks for the informative video Pat, Really enjoyed the video. Hopefully Khao San Road can go back to its former self soon :) Have a great day
Very happy that you enjoyed it, thanks. Will the area recover? Hard to say but will the backpackers return or a totally new type of traveller? And when?
@@BangkokPat Yeah its all tricky questions!
great video as always Pat, I drive through the area every now and then and sorry to say it will never get it's charm back too much has changed now I suspect another backpacker area will develop naturally over the years. So glad I visited for the first time around 15 years ago.
Cheers Stephen, it's best days are gone that's for sure. It was being smartened up for Chinese walking tour groups anyway. The news gleefully said the vendors were learning mandarin. So covid put a stop to that.
Great video Pat.
I was a backpacker when I first stayed there in 88 was a great place to meet other backpackers and give each other tips on good places to go.
I try not to spend time in Bangkok these days later prefer other parts of Thailand.
But I did go out one night in Khao San road about five years ago just out of curiosity.
And I couldn't recognise a thing lol.
Thanks Richard, I gave up on Khao San Road as a fun night out after 2011. Too many pretend hippies on laptops taking up the bars!! In 1988 I bet it was a pleassant area indeed!
Really like and appreciate your broadcasts.
I mentioned, on another Channel, how odd I find it that so much money is being invested by Municipalities that are surely already in financial hoc up to the eyeballs, due to the current situation, in the Gentrification of areas almost invariably popular with the “Common Man” - such as Walking Street, in Pattaya.
Even in my area of the UK, similar works are underway and I have it on good authority that such is, pretty much, a worldwide phenomena.
In popular tourist resorts of Thailand, overhead cables are being placed below surface, roads and pavements are being torn up and resurfaced, buildings are being levelled to make way for new (Hi-So) structures.
In their doing so, I can’t help but lament the loss of the chaotic and even (some might say) the sleaze of some of these areas which added more than a little to their former charm and attraction.
Almost as if there is an unspoken “plan” being undertaken (I choose that word advisedly).
Thanks a lot for the kind words, sorry for the late reply.. Gentrification has caught on here in the last decade, but they aren't preserving any heritage or caring about what they demolish, currently, the Dusit Thani is getting that treatment, an icon of a hotel, not even preserving anything at all. Wiped from history for another commercial clone of a development like dozens of others all going up. Typical 3rd world mentality, they think if they catch up with modern cities, it'll look credible, but the character of Bangkok is vanishing, Blandcock is a better word. We got the memories to enjoy, new visitors don't know ny different. Shame.
Digging the Robbo T-shirt Pat, Salute 🫡
For as many times as I have been to Thailand over the past 20 years... even in my younger raging party days... KSR was one place I have never really got into. Although I did like chillin at Gullivers and drinking and meeting random people from around the world... Even in my 20's when I was chatting up the Thai uni girls and they would always try to get me to take them there for partying I would mostly pass. I could not stand the dirty back packers... it's been interesting to see it taken back by the the younger Thai set and will be interesting to see if the "dirty backpackers" return en masse once (IF) we see a return to normalcy... Another great vid Pat.. cheers!
Top cat man…..kudos!
OMG I was meant to be alive in those black and white photo times!!! Would have been amazing.
I was alive but in my early teens, hard to believe video cameras were such awful quality back then!
@@BangkokPat I know, so true... video and photo quality changed so much since then, looks like a lifetime ago!!
Hi Pat, isn’t Gullivers in Sukhumvit soi 13 these days? One night in Bangkok is definitely the song that reminds me of my trips to Thailand, although I prefer the earlier version by Robey, the video clip is really befitting the song...
Sorry for late response Paul, Gullivers in Sukhumvit soi 5 recently called it a day. Maybe there is one somewhere in Soi 13 but I didn't see it last time I was there. One Night in Bangkok is a classic that will never die. You get the old guys who think they're too big to dance to it if it comes on, which is amusing
Why am I thinking about "THE BEACH" great book and film.
I agree with you, defined an era.
I was there 2005……blimey!
New World Dept Store was a great place to hangout, shop & eat back in the late 80's Pat esp in the hot season..plus lots of lovely young thai ladies to admire. It really was the centre of banglamphu for a time. I even bumped into the boss of of the Thermae there once who was shopping with his wife...
On the 4th floor they had a bakers that knocked out small baguettes for b5 a pop.
Prior to the introduction of metered taxis in 1991 it cost around b40 in a tuk tuk or b50 in a taxi, depending on your thai language skills, from banglamphu to nana/cowboy!
Thanks for the info!! When I was doing research I could find nothing about anyone going there or photos of the place. The odd bad quality photo that I couldn't use, I did wonder about it, and if it was a bit too upmarket for its day in that area but I suppose the hordes of backpackers hadn't properly arrived yet. Loved shooting round that part, great fun. Shot the Old City video at the same time, originally it was all going to be one video but it would have been too long!
Nice to hear from you Pat. Oh yeah, no doubt about it New World Dept Store was 'the' place and funnily enough not many b/p's ventured inside. It was about 11 stories high i think and the exterior of the building facing the banglamphu junction had an outside elevator running all the way up to the food court on the 9th floor.
And not much competition in the area as Central Pinklao wasnt there and Pata Pinklao quite downmarket.
Im in Samsen by the way Pat just over the klong.
@@grahamchelsea9875 I know it was a fruit & veg market before new world, and I was also trying to get pics of the old Banglampu dept store on Soi Kraisi just round the corner. I suppose there wasn't much worth photographing round there back then! I'm planning at some point, a video from Saphan Kwai round to Samsen area around the train tracks....
Any viewers experience P.B. Guest House and/or working as extras on Good Morning Vietnam back in 87? Best time of my life! I had run out of cash and I think they paid us 1,000 baht a day, a small fortune at the time. Plus night shifts on the movie Saigon....
Thanks very much!! That's a tidy sum for 1987, per day! PB Guest House still there, pretty sure I remember seeing a sign.
I remember the pb guest house I stayed there a few times in the late eighties. There was a pool hall next door. The Chinese guy outside in the combat jacket usually sat on stool he was the best weed dealer on the road. Did the film extra job in chang mai. What a laugh 😁
the PB was a home away from home in the early 80''s. Mr Lu a great guy .... and mrs Lu a formidable woman !! great memories of that place